“If they could not be conquered, then like a cancer, they had to be surgically isolated and cut out for the sake of humankind. Drastic times calls for drastic measures. That was his remedy for the “crisis” he felt overtaking him and his Germany” (214)
Summary:
The chapter opens up with Johann not being able to face Greta and how the world seemed to have been falling apart around him. It then leads into a flashback at Johann’s private practice. A man named Herr Semmelberg had come to ask him for a favor. Johann had remembered him from his childhood when he bought candy from his shop. Johann had found out that Herr Semmelberg’s wife is sick. When Semmelberg found out that his wife was sick he asked Johann to relieve her of her suffering. Then he gives her some pills. After, the chapter goes on to talk about Phillip and Christine’s life. They have a fight about how Christine has no ambitions. Then she accuses him of not actually practicing Judaism. Soon, they go to a cinema to see a movie about the soviets. The movie ends with a riot started by the Nazis. They manage to escape the movie after the riot. Then Phillip goes to a “socialist- doctor” conference that rallies against the Nazis. Phillip finds out Luise is one of the leaders. They then have a drink at a restaurant and talk. Phillip then finds out that she was pregnant with his child but had an abortion. He is beside himself, while Luise seems completely over it.
Characters:
Frau Britzer- Brenner’s, “hunchbacked, downstairs neighbor” (pg 210)
Herr Semmelberg- “shopkeeper from Pohlendorf near Munich” (pg 210), Johann bought candy from him, he cares greatly for his family
Ellen Semmelburg- daughter of Rivka and Herr Semmelburg, nurse(pg 211)
Rivka Semmelburg- Herr Semmelburg’s wife, overweight, very sick, suspected liver disease, Johann decides to help Herr Semmelburg put her out of misery(pg 215)
Grotjah- founder of social hygiene school, suspected Nazi, didn’t accept Johann’s article because it didn’t pertain to race(pg 219)
Herr Meininger- son-in-law of the owner of the curtain company that Helga works at(pg 223)
Josef Goebbels- Nazi party’s chief organizer in Berlin(pg 225)
Vocab:
poliomyelitis(210)- an acute and something devastating viral disease deference(212)- submission teeming(213)- swarming with something dogma(214)- a doctrine lamentable(219)- mournful; expressing grief precarious(223)- dangerously lacking in security strodgy(223)- heavy, dull, uninteresting bourgeous(225)- the middle class sordid(226)- dirty, filthy policlinic(229)- the department of a hospital or health care facility that treats out patients
Key Concepts and Events:
Great Depression(209)- world wide economic collapse following the Stock Market crash in 1929 in which unemployment remained high for an extended period. Gremany, still recovering from WWI was hit especially hard. More information at http://www.jstor.org/pss/259836
Chapter 11: The Right Thing
Memorable Passage(s):
“If they could not be conquered, then like a cancer, they had to be surgically isolated and cut out for the sake of humankind. Drastic times calls for drastic measures. That was his remedy for the “crisis” he felt overtaking him and his Germany” (214)Summary:
The chapter opens up with Johann not being able to face Greta and how the world seemed to have been falling apart around him. It then leads into a flashback at Johann’s private practice. A man named Herr Semmelberg had come to ask him for a favor. Johann had remembered him from his childhood when he bought candy from his shop. Johann had found out that Herr Semmelberg’s wife is sick. When Semmelberg found out that his wife was sick he asked Johann to relieve her of her suffering. Then he gives her some pills.After, the chapter goes on to talk about Phillip and Christine’s life. They have a fight about how Christine has no ambitions. Then she accuses him of not actually practicing Judaism. Soon, they go to a cinema to see a movie about the soviets. The movie ends with a riot started by the Nazis. They manage to escape the movie after the riot. Then Phillip goes to a “socialist- doctor” conference that rallies against the Nazis. Phillip finds out Luise is one of the leaders. They then have a drink at a restaurant and talk. Phillip then finds out that she was pregnant with his child but had an abortion. He is beside himself, while Luise seems completely over it.
Characters:
Frau Britzer- Brenner’s, “hunchbacked, downstairs neighbor” (pg 210)Herr Semmelberg- “shopkeeper from Pohlendorf near Munich” (pg 210), Johann bought candy from him, he cares greatly for his family
Ellen Semmelburg- daughter of Rivka and Herr Semmelburg, nurse(pg 211)
Rivka Semmelburg- Herr Semmelburg’s wife, overweight, very sick, suspected liver disease, Johann decides to help Herr Semmelburg put her out of misery(pg 215)
Grotjah- founder of social hygiene school, suspected Nazi, didn’t accept Johann’s article because it didn’t pertain to race(pg 219)Herr Meininger- son-in-law of the owner of the curtain company that Helga works at(pg 223)
Josef Goebbels- Nazi party’s chief organizer in Berlin(pg 225)
Vocab:
poliomyelitis(210)- an acute and something devastating viral diseasedeference(212)- submission
teeming(213)- swarming with something
dogma(214)- a doctrine
lamentable(219)- mournful; expressing grief
precarious(223)- dangerously lacking in security
strodgy(223)- heavy, dull, uninteresting
bourgeous(225)- the middle class
sordid(226)- dirty, filthy
policlinic(229)- the department of a hospital or health care facility that treats out patients
Key Concepts and Events:
Great Depression(209)- world wide economic collapse following the Stock Market crash in 1929 in which unemployment remained high for an extended period. Gremany, still recovering from WWI was hit especially hard. More information at http://www.jstor.org/pss/259836Vossische Zeitung(225)- is one of the most outstanding sources for the study of political reporting and public opinion in Germany. More information at http://weimarstudies.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/vossische-zeitung-online/